Dynamic Helical Polymers: Exploring the Complexity of Responses to Stimuli

Abstract

Helical polymers, covalent and supramolecular, have attracted the attention of the scienti ic community for their structure-function relationship as found in helical biomacromolecules such as peptides, proteins, or DNA, among others. Inspired by these systems, this thesis explores synthetic helical poly(phenylacetylene)s and supramolecular polymers. These polymers exhibit dynamism, and their structure can be modulated by multi-response to stimuli such as temperature, metal ions, pH, photochemical electrocyclization, and copolymerization. Furthermore, the synthesis and mechanism of the PPA response in the process of nanocomposite formation with metal nanoparticles were also studied. Thus, new helical systems, covalent and supramolecular, were prepared and studied, resulting in novel multi-responsive materials.